Absolute Craft

Chapter 23: Leveling Up (3)

Skinning monsters wasn't simple. During his beta tester days, Blake struggled with this profession until he discovered a knack for it, eventually earning a rare-ranked butcher title. The higher the rank, the more loot a player could obtain from turning monsters into particles.

It was worth leveling up this title—or merging it with others to reach epic rank in the late game—because of the valuable loot one could get from bosses or special monsters.

Keeping his battle lust in check, Blake worked on his butcher title until it reached rare rank. He skinned, sliced, and collected raw parts from ten lynxes, just like he used to do in his beta tester days. The process was faster now and almost enjoyable.

It reminded him of how his guild members would grin at his lack of skill in these miscellaneous tasks. Whether they were genuinely enjoying a friendly moment or simply happy to see his weakness, Blake chose not to dwell on it. He finished his work and buried the memories deep.

Smiling, Blake scooped up some snow, holding it near his forehead so Sol's warmth would melt it. He washed the blood from his hands, put his gloves back on, and flexed his fingers. "Now then. I'm a bit hungry, so I should log out and eat in real life before cooking here. But I'm more interested in our cooperation, Beatrix."

At the sound of her name, Beatrix emerged from the shadows.

Blake had reached level three, but his familiar and elemental were still level one. Sol slept soundly while Beatrix had largely gone unnoticed. Blake decided they should level up together.

"With our stats and equipment, we shouldn't have trouble in this forest. Sol's aura keeps the snow away, so that's convenient," he said, and Beatrix nodded. "Right now, I'm stronger against groups of mobs—or even players—than against a single foe. I rely on my experience to cover that weakness, but it's best if I keep them alive until I'm done. I'm counting on you to finish them off."

His first katana made him a powerhouse against crowds, if not entire armies. With Beatrix on his team, he could keep enemies' lives in the palm of his hand, denying them any chance to heal. She was his shadow, watching everything, covering different angles. He expected no less from her, given that he could already track numerous details during battle.

"Let's see what we can do without too much planning. You're free to act as you see fit. I'll lure the enemies," Blake said, then howled again.

His voice echoed through the white forest, rousing its denizens.

Five white lynxes raced toward him. He calmly adopted a middle-guard stance and waited. Meanwhile, Beatrix left his shadow. Like a fish in water, she glided among the trees, using her acute hearing to pinpoint monsters.

After fighting Blake—when he'd handled her arrows with his eyes shut—she seemed to have evolved, depending more on her sharpened senses than actual sight. She picked out the five lynxes he'd provoked and casually roamed the forest for more.

Still on the move, she drew her bow and pulled back the string. It appeared she hadn't nocked an arrow, but any doubt vanished when shadowy tendrils formed between the string and riser, creating a four-bladed arrowhead. She released it, and the arrow silently pierced one lynx's skull. The monster spotted Beatrix and lunged at her.

She shifted her position and loosed another arrow at a different target. Repeating this ten more times, she soon had eleven monsters chasing her like a pack of frenzied hounds. Returning to Blake's side, Beatrix melded with his shadow once again.

He eyed the wave of monsters barreling toward them. "Good idea. The more there are, the stronger I become."

His grin widened as he noticed all the lynxes Beatrix had attacked were close to death—one slash would finish them.

A thought struck him. "As I move, so does my shadow. I'll weave among these monsters, and it's your job to kill anything that poses a real threat. I'll bait them into obvious openings—take your shot when you see it."

Beatrix's eyes shone in the darkness, though Blake couldn't see them.

And so, the two honed their teamwork.

As for Sol, he was still fast asleep!